Three Grumpy Gits and a Baby
by KeepCalmAndExpectoPatronum
Summary: Trouble finds Harry. Again. Are you really that surprised? He certainly isn't. When Harry is accidentally turned into a baby, it's down to Sirius, Remus and Snape to take care of him. Surprising revelations come to light as they are forced to work together to find a cure.
1. Chapter 1

_Originally written for the Pen15 is Mightier's Writing Competition (April 2018)._

 _Golden Quill Winner - Best Romance_

 _Thank you to my beta's Nymphadorable and ladygrangerdanger for helping me with this story!_

* * *

The phrase 'I don't try to get into trouble; trouble comes to me' was fittingly emblematic of Harry Potter's life thus far. For fifteen years – largely, though not entirely, through no fault of his own – trouble had followed Harry relentlessly. It followed him all the way to Hogwarts, into girls bathrooms with trolls and secret chambers with basilisks, into the Forbidden Forest with giant, murderous spiders and into darkened graveyards with Dark Lords and Death Eaters.

Trouble was Harry's bread and butter. So it really should have come as no surprise to anyone that the summer before he was due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts that trouble would find him yet again. This time however, the source of Harry's woes did not come in the shape of some dark creature or Lord Voldemort. Indeed, the root of his troubles was much closer to home in the form of two identical, mischievous redheads.

It was an accident, of course.

The twins had set up camp in one of the many spare rooms in Grimmauld Place conducting 'experiments' of an unspecified nature. Sirius had been happy to lend them the space – a marauder at heart, he saw the Weasley twins as kindred spirits of sorts, and believed that their mischievous talents ought to be encouraged and nurtured – with or without Mrs. Weasley's knowledge.

And they would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for Harry. His unbridled curiosity had gotten the better of him this time.

Nobody saw it happen, and Harry in his current condition was in no fit state to explain. What was clear was that the Weasley twins had been experimenting with the creation of numerous products for their current enterprise, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and were currently developing what appeared to be an anti-aging cream.

"We have a tagline and everything ready for it," Fred had explained to Harry who peered curiously into the cauldron bubbling with silvery liquid. "The posters will read 'Don't just turn that frown upside down – banish it entirely with the Wrinkle Eradicator – rapid wrinkle repair for the mature witch!"

"Of course, the cream will do nothing of the sort," grinned George with a malicious glint in his eye. "The customer will appear to age rapidly instead. The effects wear off eventually."

"Hmm," Harry leaned over the cauldron to expect it more closely. Gas bubbles broke the molten surface, spitting Prussian blue steam and globs of potion up into the air.

"Careful there Harry," warned Fred. "You don't want to get any of that on you."

"Yeah, it's still in the preliminary stages of development," explained George. "So far every concoction we've made doesn't age you, it's makes you youn—"

"What on _earth_ is going on here?" rang a sharp voice.

George and Fred spun around and stood shoulder to shoulder in a vain attempt to disguise the bubbling cauldron from their mother's view.

"Nothing," they chimed unconvincingly.

"The day you two are doing nothing is the day hell freezes over!" she chided, approaching them. Although she was at least a head shorter, the twins shrank under their mother's withering gaze. "I've had it up to here with you two and your nonsense! I'm not sure I even want to know what it is you're up to this time."

"Honestly, it's nothing," lied Fred.

"We were just mucking about," George assured her.

"Yeah, we were just showing Harry what we were doing and—" Fred turned and paused. "Where's Harry?"

George turned to face the cauldron, but Harry was gone. The twins' eyes fell to the ground and they grimaced at a pile of clothes that now lay on the floor, rustling and whimpering. Mrs. Weasley peered over their shoulders frowning.

"What is it?" she asked. She stared in confusion at the bundle of clothes for a moment, then glanced between her two sons and back at the pile again before all the colour drained from her face and she sank to her knees, "Merlin's Beard!"

Mrs. Weasley lifted a baby free from the bundle of clothes. The baby had black, messy hair sticking out in all directions, emerald green eyes, and a thin red scar on his forehead. He was naked except for a curious dollop of silver potion smeared across his chubby cheek.

"Harry?" asked Mrs. Weasley tentatively. Baby Harry grinned a broad, toothless grin and laughed.

"We've done it this time, Fred," muttered George forlornly.


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you mean 'Harry's a baby now'?" cried Sirius. Sirius, Remus, Mrs. Weasley, Fred, George, Hermione, Ron and Ginny had assembled in the kitchen to discuss the situation. At first, Sirius was convinced the twins were playing a prank on him - that is, until he saw the baby clutched in Mrs. Weasley's arms. They transfigured a bouncy chair for Harry and sat him atop the large, oak kitchen table, each of them staring at him with a mixture of disbelief and fear.

"How did this happen?" asked Remus wearily.

"It was an accident!" protested George desperately. Fred nodded vigorously.

"We were just mucking about with some potion ingredients in one of the spare bedrooms. Harry must have spilt some on himself when he came in to have a look."

"Clumsy beggar," mumbled George, shaking his head. Mrs. Weasley slapped both twins on the back of their heads and they winced.

"Oh no you don't!" she warned. "This is your fault! I told you to cease and desist your little experiments, but no – you thought you knew better than I did, daft old mum doesn't know what she's talking about, does she? There's no talking your way out of this mess, not this time. And you!"

She rounded on Sirius who sank lower into his seat as she loomed over him, "You knew what they were doing and you saw fit to go over my head and encourage their tomfoolery!"

"Molly—" he began, but Mrs. Weasley cut him off.

"Don't 'Molly' me, boy! You encouraged my sons to disobey me and look what's happened as a result! Well, I hope you're proud of yourself."

Sirius stared at his shoes and said nothing, his pale face flushed red with shame. Remus placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and asked, "The real question is, can we fix it?"

Fred and George glanced wearily at one another.

"We're not sure," said George.

The kitchen in Grimmauld Place erupted into chaos at this revelation.

"You mean he might be stuck like this?" cried Ron in horror.

"What happens if You-Know-Who finds out about this?" despaired Mrs. Weasley.

"Well to be fair, he hasn't fared well against infants in the past," mused Fred, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Nobody laughed.

"This is no time to joke!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "This is serious! Merlin, what will Dumbledore say?"

"What about school?" asked Hermione shakily. "We're supposed to be starting back next week, and it's our O.W.L.S. year, Harry can't afford to miss out of any of his lessons."

"I think class attendance is the least of his worries, Hermione," scoffed Ron. "He's not even old enough to attend Hogwarts anymore. He hasn't even got teeth yet!"

Harry squealed and kicked out his tiny legs happily, oblivious to the seriousness of his situation.

"Has anyone contacted Dumbledore about this?" asked Remus. Sirius rose to his feet.

"I'll go write him a letter. Explain the situation as best as I can."

"You do that," sneered Mrs. Weasley. "Try not to do any more damage between here and your bedroom!"

Sirius paused as though he were going to retort to Mrs. Weasley's jibe, but thought better of it and hurried out of the kitchen.

* * *

They weren't waiting long before Professor Dumbledore arrived closely followed by Professor Snape. The Headmaster strode into the kitchen and paused abruptly when he saw Harry dozing in the bouncy chair.

"Oh my," he murmured. A fresh ripple of panic spread through the kitchen – if Dumbledore was taken aback by something that usually meant the prognosis was not good. Snape approached the baby cautiously and pulled out his wand. Sirius instinctively jumped to his feet and drew his own wand, pointing it at Snape.

"What do you think you're doing?" he snapped. Snape sneered at Sirius but proceeded no further.

"Sirius," warned Dumbledore, his voice low and dangerous. "Lower your wand. Severus means the boy no harm."

Sirius hesitated, only lowering his wand when Remus touched his hand but remained standing warily as Snape took another step towards the baby. Snape swished his wand, muttering under his breath as he performed numerous incantations. Dumbledore watched closely, his eyebrows knit into a deep frown of concern. Everyone else watched on anxiously and silently for the prognosis.

Eventually, Snape lowered his wand and glanced at Dumbledore, giving his head a slight shake. Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his tired eyes, "This complicates matters somewhat."

"Harry's going to be alright, isn't he?" asked Ginny uncertainly. Dumbledore gave her a reassuring smile.

"We will do everything in our power to restore Harry to his natural state."

"That's hardly a vote of confidence, Dumbledore," mused Sirius.

"I will not lie – this appears to be an extremely potent anti-aging potion at work," said Dumbledore carefully. "It seems that Harry's condition goes beyond a mere change in physical appearance – his cognitive development has also regressed to that of an infant; his perception, thought, language and physical coordination are that of a nine-month old baby."

"Not much change from his previous state then," muttered Snape.

"Shut your mouth, Snivellus!" shouted Sirius, his face contorted with fury. Sirius' angry outburst woke Harry with a start and he began to cry. Sirius' face fell and he rushed over to pick up Harry, trying to comfort him, "Shhh, I'm sorry I shouted. I wasn't angry at you, please don't cry…"

Harry clung desperately to Sirius' robes as tears streamed down his chubby cheeks. Sirius rocked Harry up and down, glaring at Snape. Remus frowned, "When you say his cognitive development has regressed – does that mean that he doesn't have any memory of who he is? Or of anything that has happened to him?"

"I believe that is the case, yes," sighed Dumbledore. Ron and Hermione looked horrified.

"So he doesn't remember us?" asked Ron.

"Not in his current condition, no," Dumbledore admitted. "And I cannot be certain that if and when we restore him to his original state that his memories will be intact."

"Shit," muttered George sinking into a chair at the kitchen table. Fred looked sickly pale, unable to speak.

"What are we going to do?" asked Mrs. Weasley desperately. "If word of this gets to You-Know-Who—"

"Word will not reach Voldemort if each person in this room swears not to mention it beyond these four walls," said Dumbledore sharply. "We will of course need to inform the other members of the Order of what has happened, Tonks and Kingsley should be summoned as soon as possible – they can keep us informed if word reaches the Ministry."

"So what are we going to say once the school year starts back up and Harry Potter of all people is not in attendance?" asked Snape.

"We say he's contracted spattergroit," suggested Mrs. Weasley. "It's highly infectious, the Ministry won't want to come anywhere near him."

Remus nodded, "Kingsley or Tonks can confirm they saw him and that'll be the end of it, hopefully."

"So where are we going to keep him?" asked Mrs. Weasley looking at Dumbledore. "Are you taking him back with you to Hogwarts?"

Sirius frowned, "He'll stay here of course."

Mrs. Weasley scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous, Sirius, this is no place for a baby!"

"Oh, and I suppose your suggestion is to take Harry home with you, is it?" he asked, holding Harry a little tighter.

"It would be a much safer environment for him than this place!" she cried. Sirius and Mrs. Weasley began arguing again, but both fell silent when Dumbledore raised his hand.

"Harry cannot stay with me at Hogwarts for obvious reasons," he began. "We cannot risk Harry being seen by other members of staff or students. The Burrow is a fine home, Molly, but it lacks the necessary security that is needed to protect him."

Sirius balked, "Surely you're not suggesting he stay at the Dursley's?"

"No, he has no need to return there until next summer," said Dumbledore, a calculating expression on his face. He stood silent for a few moments deep in thought before smiling serenely, "I believe the best place for Harry is in the care of his godfather."

Sirius grinned broadly and Remus patted him on the shoulder. Mrs. Weasley however did not look pleased.

"Surely you can't be serious," she argued, sounding exacerbated. "This house is in no fit state for anyone, let alone a baby!"

"This house is better than it was!" argued Ginny. "We've worked really hard all summer to make this place habitable again."

"I know that," said Mrs. Weasley shaking her head. "But it's so…gloomy. And dirty. Babies need fresh air and sunlight and—"

"We're supposed to be keeping him hidden Molly, we can't be taking him out on strolls in the park and maintain secrecy, can we?" spat Sirius.

"Grimmauld Place is the safest place for Harry. Its location is known only to those in the Order and it is under the protection of the Fidelius charm," explained Dumbledore. "And with Remus and Severus' help, he will be in safe hands until the issue is resolved."

Snape's head snapped towards the Headmaster, "What do you mean with my help?"

"You will need to check in on Harry at least once a day to assess his prognosis," he explained. "Sirius and Remus will need to take care of Harry's other needs and to inform you of any new symptoms that may arise."

"I am tasked with childcare on top of my other…duties….for the Order?" he asked frowning.

"Is hanging out with your old Death Eater buddies going to interfere with looking after a baby?" taunted Sirius.

"Childcare is all you are fit for, Black, since there is little else you can do," replied Snape silkily.

Sirius snarled but Remus interjected before another argument could erupt.

"There must be another more suitable alternative. What about Poppy?"

"She is not a member of the Order," argued Dumbledore. "And Severus is the most qualified person to cure Harry of his ailment."

"I'm more than happy to keep Harry here," said Sirius, glaring at Snape. "But I don't understand why he needs to be involved. It's clear he doesn't want to be and I don't want him to be either."

"Headmaster, it is not often that Black and I agree upon anything," said Snape carefully. "But I do not believe I am the best person to be tasked with the care of the child."

"First and last time we'll agree on anything, Snape," smirked Sirius.

Snape drew Sirius a withering look before continuing, "I have as much experience in caring for children as Lupin and Black do. There must be another way."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at Snape, "You deny that you are the most qualified person to have a chance of curing Harry?"

Snape bristled, "I do not."

Dumbledore turned to Mrs. Weasley, "And are you happy to assist them with the task at hand, Molly?"

"Of course," she nodded curtly. "I've raised seven of my own, I can give them more than a few pointers."

"Then I am afraid there is no other alternative," he smiled. Everyone else shifted uncomfortably but said nothing. Nobody was brave enough to argue with the old wizard, but none of them seemed particularly confident in the plan either. Remus, Sirius and Snape solely charged with the care of an infantile Harry - what could possibly go wrong?


	3. Chapter 3

"Harry's not had the best time of it lately, has he?" sighed Hermione sadly.

"Bit of an understatement, don't you think?" Ron muttered.

Ron and Hermione had hoped that come September first, Professor Snape would have figured out how to reverse Harry's condition. But on the morning they were to depart for their fifth term at Hogwarts, Harry's condition had not changed. While everyone else rushed to gather their things before leaving for King's Cross Station, they knelt before the infantile Harry as he kicked happily in his bouncy chair in the living room.

"It's not going to be the same without him there," said Ron quietly. Hermione gave his hand a light squeeze.

"I know, but…maybe this is a good thing."

Ron drew her an incredulous look, "How the hell can this be a good thing?"

Hermione shrugged, "Well, he's had such a rough time of it lately; the Dementor attack, the Hearing at the Ministry, the Prophet making up lies about him all summer…"

Ron nodded in agreement, "The nightmares, too... they were getting worse. And what happened to Cedric…"

Hermione and Ron looked sadly at the bouncing baby.

"He looks so happy," Ron noted. "Happier than he has been in a long time."

"Maybe the old saying is true," she mused. "Ignorance really is bliss. You know, a part of me is glad that he can't remember anything. Not about us, obviously. I mean all the bad stuff. I like that he can sleep peacefully for once in his life."

"It's not real, though, is it?" Ron pointed out. "He might not remember all the bad stuff, but it still happened. The danger still remains."

"I know," she sighed. "But I'm not going to begrudge Harry for being able to take a break from it all, even if it's just for a little while."

"Yeah, it's not like Harry's going to stay like this forever," said Ron hopefully. "Snape will fix it soon enough."

"Yeah, sure," replied Hermione uncertainly.

A squeal and a loud clatter drew their attention away from Harry and they turned to see Tonks tripping over a table leg as she entered the room. She stumbled onto her knees and dropped two large paper bags in her hands, the contents spilling all over the floor.

They rushed forward to help her back to her feet and she smiled sheepishly at them, "Cheers. Someone better shift that table out of the way, it's a bloody health hazard!"

Hermione helped Tonks gather up the spilled contents from the floor and paused as she picked up a baby grow with a lion stitched on the front.

"Oh Tonks, this is adorable!" she cried. Tonks beamed.

"I know, right? I saw it when I was out getting some supplies for Harry and I couldn't resist. Check this out."

She held up a pair of dungarees embroidered with tiny snitches fluttering their wings. Hermione crooned, "Aww, he's going to look so cute!"

Ron groaned and turned to joke with Harry about the broody women but paused as he remembered again with a jolt of annoyance that his best mate was now a baby.

"Are you two quite done playing happy families? You have a train to catch," came a sharp voice. Snape lingered by the doorway watching them. Hermione's cheeks turned pink and she quickly stuffed the last of the clothes back into the bags. Ron glowered at the Potions Master but knew better than to argue back. Tonks, however, smirked and rose to her feet.

"Got something for you, Sev!" she said cheerfully, holding the tiny dungarees under Snape's chin. "Unfortunately they don't have it in your size, but I think it matches well with your brooding expression."

Ron snorted and stared at his feet, trying and failing to smother his smile. Snape rose an eyebrow at Tonks, "Is this your attempt at humour?"

"It is," she grinned.

"Well you're not very good at it, are you?" he retorted. Tonks gave an overly dramatic gasp and covered her heart with her hand.

"Oh, how you wound me, Severus! Come on, admit you found it a little bit funny."

Snape swept past her without another word. He knelt in front of Harry and proceeded to cast various incantations in silence. Harry leaned forward desperately trying to grasp Snape's robes, but he kept enough distance between them so that Harry couldn't reach him.

"Looks like Harry's taken a shine to you," mused Tonks with interest.

"Further evidence of the severity of his condition," Snape sniffed.

"Clearly," Ron muttered to Hermione and she stifled a snigger. Mrs. Weasley popped her head into the living room, looking flustered.

"There you are!" she cried sounding exacerbated. "Come on you two, we're already running late."

"Just a minute, Mum," said Ron. "We just need to say goodbye to Harry."

"Alright dear, just make it quick," she nodded, glancing at her watch and disappearing back out into the corridor. Hermione and Ron approached Harry, but Snape didn't move out of the way.

"Sorry, Professor," said Hermione apologetically. "Can we just take a moment to say goodbye to Harry?"

"My tests are of far greater importance than your childish sentimentalities, Ms. Granger," he replied silkily. "You will have to wait until I have completed my run of tests."

"But we need to go now-" she began, but Snape cut her off.

"That is not my concern," he retorted, not even looking at her. Tonks huffed and grabbed Snape's wrist and lowered his wand.

"Stop being an arse, Sev, and give them a moment to say their goodbyes!" she barked. Ignoring the incredulous look Snape threw her she inclined her head towards Ron and Hermione, "Go on, say goodbye to Harry."

Ron and Hermione made their hurried goodbyes and scurried out of the living room, leaving Tonks with a fuming Snape.

"Who do you think you are?" he hissed, rising to his feet and looming over her. Tonks looked up at him, completely unruffled. "Undermining my authority in front of students is completely unacceptable."

"Oh, stop being such a grumpy git, Sev," she chided. "They only wanted to say goodbye to their friend! It's no skin off your big nose, is it?"

She playfully pinched the tip of his nose and Snape slapped her hand away, positively fuming now, "Stop calling me that! You will address me as Severus, Snape or Professor."

Tonks burst out laughing, "You want me to call you Professor? You're overstepping the mark a bit, don't you think?"

"It wasn't so long ago you were one of my students, _Nymphadora_ ," he inflected sharply. Tonks frowned in annoyance at the use of her name and Snape smirked, pleased to have finally riled her. "You've always had a problem with authority figures. I'm surprised that they even let you into the Auror programme with your long history of demonstrating a blatant disregard for the rules."

Tonks smirked and leaned her face closer to Snape's, so close that their noses were almost touching. "You act as though rule-breaking is a bad thing. But you know plenty about breaking the rules, don't you, _Professor_?"

Snape blinked, uncertain of how to respond; Tonks' tone was serious, but her eyes had a playful expression to them. Was she disparaging his Death Eater status? Perhaps she was simply teasing his studiousness. Snape eyed her suspiciously - what was her angle? Always armed with some kind of vicious retort or defence, Snape's mind drew a blank, distracted by how close Tonks was to him, her warm breath tickling his tense lips.

"If I did I was never foolish enough to get caught," he sneered, his voice sounding hoarser than he had intended. Tonks laughed softly and lowered her gaze.

"Everyone always said you were a stickler for the rules, but I always suspected otherwise. I'm curious, Professor, do you have a rule against sleeping with former students?"

Snape's eyes widened and Tonks' mischievous grin broadened. Snape felt a hot flush of anger and to his shame arousal spread through him. _She's mocking you_ , he thought. She had to be. There was no way she could possibly be serious. _She's just trying to get a rise out of you_ , he warned himself. Well, she had certainly succeeded in doing that. He lowered his gaze and stared at her lips, rose-pink and slightly parted. He still hadn't answered her. His brain seemed to have jarred. Perhaps the heavy silence growing between them _was_ his answer.

Harry let out a squeal of annoyance at being ignored. Severus came crashing back to reality and realised where he was, standing in the living room practically nose-to-nose with Tonks while an infantile Harry Potter whined for attention. It was a strange position to be in, even by Snape's standards. He cleared his throat and stepped away from Tonks, his legs feeling a little unsteady.

"I have to complete my tests before returning to the school," he said stiffly and turned his back on her towards Harry. Tonks watched him for a moment then nodded.

"I need to be making tracks anyway, I'm seeing the kids off at the station. See you later, Sev."

Snape bristled at the nickname but didn't respond. He waited for Tonks to leave the living room before closing his eyes and letting out a long, exacerbated sigh. For all he had disparaged her, Snape privately acknowledged that Tonks was a perfectly competent Auror - exceptional even. When she had been a student at Hogwarts, she had always excelled in his classes. Her biggest shortcoming was her clumsiness, occasionally causing chaos tripping over cauldrons and spilling hazardous potions in the classroom. But she was smart and hardworking; even her cheekiness couldn't detract from her competency. And loathed as he was to admit it to himself, he did actually think she was funny. And beautiful. And brave. _And absolutely out of your league because you are the old dungeon bat_ , he reminded himself harshly.

Snape opened his eyes and glanced at the baby who stared up at him expectantly. Snape glowered at him. He resented having to be in the company of the remaining Marauders more than he already needed to be. Hated the fact that once again he had to be the one to sort out Harry's problems. He blamed himself for his inability to handle normal social interactions with beautiful women with more decorum.

"I place the blame for this situation entirely on your shoulders," he declared, glaring down at the baby. Harry blew a raspberry and smiled contentedly.


	4. Chapter 4

Sirius woke with a start and groaned into his pillow. Harry was crying again. He turned and draped an arm over Remus, giving him a light shake.

"Moony," he croaked.

"I got up last time," replied Remus, his voice muffled by the heavy quilt.

"Please, I'm fucking knackered," complained Sirius. The first couple weeks of Harry's transformation hadn't been so bad because the house had been full of people to give him a helping hand. Molly had been at his beck and call, but he had been keen to prove he could handle things on his own and had convinced a reluctant Molly to leave him to his own devices with the promise that she'd be available any time he needed him. Sirius was now half-convinced that Harry had waited for Molly to walk out of the front door before he had dropped all pretence of being a happy bouncing baby and began bawling immediately.

Harry fought with Sirius at every turn; he squirmed and squealed every time he needed his nappy changed. He screamed and splashed whenever Sirius tried to bathe him. He refused to sleep when he was put down for naps and bedtimes, regularly escaping from his crib and crawling at lightning speed through the house, Sirius chasing after him helplessly. Mealtimes were a constant battle too, Sirius often ending up wearing most of Harry's food than managing to get him to eat any of it. Despite his woes, Sirius refused to ask Molly for help, afraid it would merely vindicate her belief that Harry should never have been left in the care of his godfather in the first place.

The other Order members never stayed long enough to be of any real help, and apart from Snape's daily visitations – and he was about as pleasant one of Harry's nappies - it was largely down to Sirius and Remus to take care of Harry.

And now Harry had taken to waking up every hour of the night crying. Remus and Sirius took it in turns getting up to comfort him, but come morning, both men were exhausted. Sirius pleaded again, "Moony, I'm begging you."

"Fine," he exhaled resignedly, slowly rising from his bed like a zombie from the grave. With great force of will, Remus got to his feet and shuffled from the bedroom, not even bothering to switch on the hall light. One of the few benefits of his lycanthropy was his superior night vision.

"Thank you," Sirius gave a sigh of relief and before Remus had even left the bedroom, he was snoring again. Remus rolled his eyes and entered the adjacent bedroom where Harry lay in his crib, wailing more loudly as Remus approached.

"There there," he cooed soothingly cradling Harry in his arms. "Did you have a bad dream, hmm?"

Harry's tiny fists clung to Remus' t-shirt and he whimpered, calmer now that he was in the man's arms. Remus paced back and forth, humming a lullaby and gently patting Harry's back, "Come on, let's get you a bottle. See if it'll help you get to sleep."

After preparing a fresh bottle of milk for Harry, Remus couldn't face the effort of climbing back up the three flights of stairs to Harry's bedroom. Instead he settled himself on the living room couch, Harry rested comfortably on his lap as he fed him his bottle. He looked down fondly at the baby in his arms and a dull ache grew in his chest, "It's still strange seeing you like this again. You weren't a heavy sleeper the first time around either. Your poor mum and dad were always exhausted, but Sirius and I were there to help—" Peter too, he remembered, his stomach twisting unpleasantly. "I'd long resigned myself to the fact that I'd never have any children of my own. But having you there, it felt like I did."

Harry drank hungrily from his bottle, staring up at Remus wide-eyed with interest. Remus sighed, "Back then, it seemed like everyone else in the world was going mad. We were all so frightened all of the time, we were losing hope of ever seeing an end to the war. But then you came along; you were like a bright light in a world of darkness. We were still afraid, of course – afraid for you, at what kind of world you were going to grow up in – but you gave us all courage to keep fighting. You were our reason to continue resisting, hoping for a better, brighter world for us all to live in. We never thought in a million years you would be the one to give us that world."

Remus shut his eyes tight, trying to fight the tears threatening to spill over. The ache in his chest throbbed now like an exposed nerve, "You gave us a second chance, but the cost was too high. You lost everyone who loved you that night – your mum and dad, Sirius, me…If I could use a Time-Turner to go back and stop it all from happening, I would. Save you the pain and the suffering you've had to endure. Everyone else be damned, I would."

Remus sat the empty bottle on the coffee table and lifted Harry onto his shoulder to rub his back, "It's wishful thinking of course; I can't change the past. I can never give you back those lost years that you deserved with your family. But this thing that's happened to you, strange as it may be, I can't help but see it as a second chance of sorts. For you as well as Sirius and I."

Harry burped and Remus chuckled. He leaned back on the couch more comfortably, Harry's head resting on his chest. Remus absentmindedly stroked Harry's wild hair, "I don't know how long you're going to stay like this Harry, but I'm going to do things right this time. Take care of you like we were always supposed to."

Harry yawned and closed his eyes, snuggling into Remus' chest. Utterly exhausted, Remus accepted that he would be spending the duration of the night here. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the couch.

"I remember the night you were born," he yawned, a gentle smile playing around his lips at the memory. "Your father was beside himself with excitement. Sirius was even worse…"

Remus' consciousness ebbed around memories of that perfect day; James beaming with pride, Sirius crying the first time he held Harry and Lily patting him reassuringly on the arm while she lay exhausted on the hospital bed. Silly old git, he thought fondly. He could feel the dark edges of unconsciousness surround him, but he did not resist, letting himself fall into the most restful night's sleep he'd had in many years.


	5. Chapter 5

Snape strode into Grimmauld Place early the next morning in a terrible mood. Saturdays were usually dedicated to marking a week's worth of student's homework, but now he had to include his daily check-up on Harry on top of everything else. Marching down the long corridor into the living room he paused and rolled his eyes at the sight before him; Remus lay sprawled on the couch, mouth open and snoring loudly, dead to the world while Harry sat on the floor with his toys, a plastic snitch and a stuffed lion levitating in front of him. Harry looked up at Snape and smiled broadly, and the stuffed lion glided over to him. Snape took the offering and smirked with amusement.

"Very impressive, Mr. Potter," he murmured. "If only you applied your talents more constructively, you would be doing more than scraping a pass in my classroom."

With lightning speed Harry crawled over to Snape and tugged at his trouser leg, reaching up to him desperately. Snape glared down at the baby. The last thing he wanted to do was play Mother Goose to the boy; he had more important things to do with his time. He considered waking up the exhausted werewolf to attend to the child, but he wasn't in a rush to spend any more time in his company than he needed to either. Weighing up his options, he concluded that the infant's company was more preferable to that of the Marauder.

He scooped Harry up in his arms and held him at arms-length, "For four years I have watched you run head first without thought or foresight into one dangerous situation after another. I've lost count the number of times I have had to step in and stop you from getting yourself and your friends killed. Now I am yet again tasked with saving you from your own ineptitude. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Harry gurgled and laughed in a wide toothless grin. Snape sneered, "Well, I see your conversational skills haven't much been affected by your transformation."

Snape deposited Harry in his high chair in the kitchen and quickly prepared his breakfast. He may detest the boy, but he wasn't going to let him go hungry. Snape pulled a chair in front of Harry.

"Porridge oats with mashed banana," he showed Harry the contents of the bowl. Harry scrunched up his nose, "Lots of nutritional benefits for growing infants like yourself. Here."

Snape scooped up a small spoonful to Harry's mouth but he kept his lips pursed shut. Snape tutted, "Come now, you must eat your breakfast."

He pressed the spoon a little more firmly to Harry's mouth, trying to coax the contents passed his lips, but Harry growled and turned his nose up at the offering. Snape felt a hot flare of anger rise up inside of him, "If you do not eat this, then you will go hungry."

The threat didn't seem to perturb Harry. A chocolate frog shot across the room and towards Harry's outstretched hand, but Snape snatched it from Harry's grasp.

"Nice try," smirked Snape. "But I am faster than you are. You need to eat this before you can have a treat."

Harry screamed in indignation and Snape took the opportunity to slip a spoonful of porridge into Harry's mouth. Harry's scream was immediately silenced by a mouthful of food and his eyes widened in shock, then narrowed. The next moment, the contents of the bowl exploded all over Snape's face, drenching his hair in oats and chunks of banana.

"Count your blessings that you are too young for retribution, Mr. Potter," he seethed, picking porridge out of his hair. "But the second I figure out how to restore you to your proper state, you are in detention until you graduate."

"Wotcher, Sev," chimed Tonks sauntering into the kitchen and sinking into the seat next to him. She picked a piece of banana out of his hair, "Got some porridge on you Sev, don't know if you realised."

Snape glared at her, "Is this another lame attempt at humour, _Nymphadora_?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, "Obviously you're not a morning person, either. I saw Lupin conked out on the living room couch. Where's Sirius?"

"Probably still in his pit," grumbled Snape, frowning at Tonks. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Just got off the night shift," she explained shrugging out of her cloak. "What are _you_ doing here so early? It's Saturday, figured you'd be getting a lie in."

"I am much too busy to spend my mornings lounging in bed," he replied silkily.

"That's a shame," said Tonks sympathetically. "I don't get many chances to lie in myself these days; what with all the hours I put in at the Ministry, and missions for The Order…plus lie in's aren't as much fun without company, wouldn't you agree?"

She winked at Snape and his pale cheeks flushed red, "I wouldn't know since I never lie in."

"Well, maybe you just haven't found the right person to try it out with," she gave him a coy smile. Her eyes lingered on his lips for a few moments before she changed the subject and asked, "You want some help feeding Harry?"

"I can manage perfectly well without your assistance, thank you," he grumbled. Tonks laughed.

"Sure you can. So you're wearing Harry's breakfast on purpose? Here," She took the bowl and spoon from Snape's hands, her warm fingers brushing against his cool hands. Snape felt his pulse quicken, but he kept his expression impassive, "Here's a little trick to get any baby to eat their dinner."

She scooped up a spoonful of porridge with one hand and held the chocolate frog up to Harry with the other. Harry's licked his lips hungrily and opened his mouth to take a bite of the treat, but Tonks quickly swapped it out for the spoonful of porridge. Harry glowered at Tonks, but ate the porridge nonetheless. She demonstrated this a couple more times before passing the spoon and chocolate frog back over to Snape. Once Harry was fed, Snape spelled his hair and face clean then proceeded to conduct his next run of tests on Harry. Tonks watched on with interest, "Any closer to finding a way to reverse the transformation?"

"No," he replied shortly. Tonks shoulders sank.

"That's unfortunate," she sighed.

"Indeed," he agreed and continued his tests in silence. It irked him that he had failed to reverse the effects of the transformation so far, equal parts impressed and furious at the potency of the Weasley twins' concoction. He was certain there was a means to reverse the effects, but it was taking much longer than he had originally anticipated.

Tonks clapped her hands together, "Well, since you're here, you might as well join me for breakfast."

"That won't be necessary," he declined, but Tonks waved her hand dismissively.

"I'm not asking you to join me because it's a necessity Sev, I'm asking because I enjoy your company."

Snape balked, "You jest."

"I'm not!" she laughed rising to her feet. "You might act like you're an old dungeon bat, but I know you're hiding a wicked sense of humour under that cloak. And a few other things worth investigating, I bet…"

She swished her wand and several pots and pans flew in the direction of the stove. The pantry door flew open and eggs, bacon, sausages, tomatoes and black pudding soared through the air and into a large skillet. "How does a full English breakfast sound?"

Snape hesitated before nodding, "That sounds…good."

Tonks flashed a brilliant smile at him and he felt his stomach do a backflip. _Merlin, get a grip of yourself_ , he thought. Tonks busied herself making breakfast while Snape prepared tea for both of them. Tonks disappeared into the pantry and reappeared a few moments later brandishing a loaf of bread, "Do you like it fried or- SHIT!"

Snape spun on his heel and his eyes widened in horror. Both of them rushed towards the skillet pan, now aflame. Tonks tripped over her own feet and stumbled, but Snape caught her by the waist and pulled her upright, her body crashing into his own. Snape pointed his wand in the direction of the fire and cried, " _Furatus Respirare_!" and the flames were immediately extinguished. Snape shook his head in disbelief, "Even simple tasks like cooking breakfast isn't without its drama when you're involved, is it Dora?"

Tonks gave a shaky laugh and leaned closer to him. Snape felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as she whispered, "I know I used to cause mayhem in your dungeon, but you were always on hand to save me from burning the place to the ground. And here you are, saving me again."

Snape loosened his grip on her waist but didn't let go. Tonks looked up at him, her eyes wide and expectant, and he suddenly had the overwhelming desire to kiss her, but once again his nerves got the better of him. He cleared his throat, "You are perfectly capable of rescuing yourself; I just wanted to rescue my breakfast."

Tonks laughed softly and touched his cheek and he froze, paralysed by her touch. She carefully traced her thumb over his cheekbone and moved her face closer and whispered, "You know, you're a funny guy, Sev."

"I am?" he asked uncertainly. She nodded, her expression quite serious now. He swallowed hard, his heart pounding so hard in his chest it hurt. Tonks moved a little closer, her eyes swirling orbs of black like his own, and as their lips barely brushed against one another Snape forgot how to breathe.

Just then hurried footsteps approached and they quickly broke apart just as Remus came crashing into the kitchen with an expression of mild panic, then immediately relaxed when he saw the two of them, "Thank Merlin. When I woke up and Harry was gone I thought…am I interrupting something?"

Snape's impassive expression was betrayed by the pink flush on his cheeks, Tonks' hair was the same shade of scarlet as her face. Harry, taking advantage of Snape and Tonks being distracted by the fire, had summoned the chocolate frog and had chocolate smeared all over his hands his face and looked absolutely delighted about it.

"I should be going," croaked Severus striding out of the kitchen.

"But what about breakfast?" asked Tonks making a move to chase after him but she hesitated, glancing at Remus to gauge his reaction. He shrugged his shoulders.

"You're not going to get his phone number standing here in the kitchen with me, are you?"

Tonks grinned and hurried out of the kitchen after Snape.

"Sev!" she called after him. "Sev, wait up!"

He pulled on his cloak and avoided her gaze, "I have a lot to do today Ms. Tonks, so you better make it quick."

"Ms. Tonks," she scoffed rolling her eyes then in her best impression of Snape she declared, "You will address me as Tonks, _Auror_ Tonks or Dora."

Snape raised an eyebrow, "Is this another attempt to humour me?"

"It is," she gave him a sly grin. "I'm determined to make you smile, Sev. I know there's a ray of sunshine beneath all those black robes and frowns."

"If it is there, then it has always eluded me," he muttered. Tonks chuckled and slapped him on the shoulder.

"See? That was funny, Sev! I always knew you were harbouring a sense of humour."

Snape suppressed the slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "I am not adverse to humour. There just isn't much to laugh about these days."

"True," she nodded, then added more seriously. "Look, we've been dancing around each other for weeks now. Don't you think we should talk about what's going on?"

"Nothing is going on," he replied shortly, buttoning up his cloak. Tonks rested a hand on his arm and he stilled.

"That's what I'd like to talk about," she said quietly. "Come around my place later. Just for a chat."

Snape considered her request in silence for a moment then nodded, "Alright. But only to talk."

Tonks flashed her toothy grin and squeezed his arm, "Great, I'll see you tonight then."

Snape watched Tonks stride back towards the kitchen with mixed feelings. It had been a long time since feelings like this had stirred in him, so long that he wasn't entirely sure how to handle them. He had wanted to kiss her, but had almost been relieved when Remus had interrupted them. He wanted her, and she'd made it clear that she wanted him too, but he was afraid that the more he had to gain, the more he had to lose. _Don't let your heart overrule your head_ , he warned himself. This was a foolish endeavour that would only end in disaster. Especially now with so much at stake.


	6. Chapter 6

Sirius hadn't had much to be happy about in the last fourteen years of his life; falsely imprisoned for murder, on the run and now in hiding, he had little to cheer about. He knew he should have been more upset about what had happened to Harry – and part of him was, but only a small part in truth. If he were being perfectly honest with himself, having Harry at home with him and Remus, he was happier than he had been in a very long time.

Remus had admitted as much himself, believing that the universe had granted them both a 'second chance' of sorts. Sirius knew it wouldn't last of course; Snape would eventually figure out how to restore Harry to his proper age. But for now, Sirius was grabbing this second chance with both hands and clinging to it desperately for as long as he could.

That said, he never could have imagined how difficult it was to raise a child and had a newfound respect for Molly Weasley being able to raise seven of her own. Harry didn't make it easy for him, but he still relished the hours he got to spend with his godson; playing with him in both human and dog-form (Harry loved riding on his back through the house), reading him stories and teaching him to walk and talk. He even enjoyed watching him sleep; it gratified him to see Harry for once in his life sleep peacefully, lost in his own world of dreams without a care of worry in the world.

Of course, that didn't stop the rest of the world from turning. The dangers remained ever-present, and it loomed ever closer to them; only the week before, Arthur Weasley had been attacked by Voldemort's snake while on guard duty at the Ministry. If Tonks hadn't been there to fight if off, Arthur surely would have been killed. Both were still being treated at St. Mungo's and while they were both expected to make a full recovery, the attack had rattled every member of The Order. Snape in particular seemed shook by what had happened, he had even gone to hospital to check on their prognosis, not entirely trusting of the Healer's capabilities.

In light of what had happened, it became clear that Harry had to be cured as soon as possible. There was no way he could defend himself in his current state. As much as Sirius argued that Harry was well-deserving of a break from the chaos of the outside world, it had been four months since the accident and he knew that deep down his reasons for keeping Harry as a child was more for his own benefit than Harry's.

Today however, Sirius would gladly have Harry back as a stroppy teenager. Right now, Sirius was worried.

"Why won't you stop crying?" he despaired, cradling Harry up and down. He had tried everything – he'd tried feeding him but he wouldn't eat, tried to put him down for a nap but he wouldn't sleep, tried entertaining him, but couldn't keep his attention – nothing would settle the infant. He just kept crying, constantly rubbing his cheeks until they flushed an angry red. Sirius didn't know what to do; Remus was indisposed for the next two days because of the full moon, Molly was at the hospital with Arthur, and Tonks was still in her sickbed. He had no-one else to turn to except…

As if the universe were answering his plea, the front door of Grimmauld Place opened and slammed shut. Sirius rose to his feet as the heavy footsteps approached and Snape swept into the living room looking more tired and forlorn than usual.

"Severus," he croaked. "I need your help."

Snape cocked an eyebrow in surprise, "Dear me, you must be in dire straits if you're willing to ask for _my_ help."

Sirius ignored the jibe and nodded to the baby in his arms, "Harry won't stop crying; I've tried everything but nothing's calming him down, and now he's got this rash on his face. Do you think I need to take him to St Mungo's?"

"I am not his wet nurse, Black. I have better things to be doing with my time that teaching you the basics of childcare," he jibed.

"Can you not be a dick for five seconds and just look at him for me?" snapped Sirius, struggling to hold the squirming infant. Harry gurned and whined, his face screwed up in pain. "Please Severus, I'm at my wits end here."

Snape looked at Sirius thoughtfully. Sirius had in his experience, been one of the most selfish, single-minded individuals he had ever met. Even years of imprisonment and being on the run had done little to temper his arrogance and self- assuredness. But now…Sirius' eyebrows were a close-knitted frown of concern, he looked uncertain and completely out of his depth. A twinge of satisfaction flared inside of him at the worried expression written all over Sirius' face, but he pushed that feeling aside and looked at Harry. The child was obviously distressed, and against his better judgement he felt an inkling of sympathy for him. He pushed that unexpected and foreign feeling aside quickly too. He sighed and held out his arms, "Very well. Give him here."

Sirius passed Harry into Snape's outstretched arms, "Just be careful with him, alright?"

"Do you trust me to check over him or not?" snapped Snape. Sirius glared at his childhood nemesis, but grudgingly relinquished his godson to the Potions Master. Snape drew his wand and performed a few silent incantations while Sirius stood waiting in awkward silence. Snape frowned and pocketed his wand, then slipped his index finger into Harry's mouth.

"Ouch!" he winced in pain and quickly withdrew his finger. "I believe I have discovered the source of your problem; he's teething."

Sirius' eyes widened, "Really? That's all it is?"

"I believe so, yes," Severus confirmed, attempting to pass the infant back to his godfather, but Harry clung tightly to his robes, refusing to let go. Snape snarled, "Your godson is like a human limpet."

"I don't get why he's taken such a shine to you," muttered Sirius freeing Snape from Harry's vicelike grip. "Not like you deserve it."

"Believe me, it is as much as mystery to you as it is to me," he huffed flattening his robes. "I shall make you a potion to alleviate his symptoms."

Snape busied himself making the potion in the kitchen while Sirius sat at the table with Harry bouncing on his knee. Snape drew Sirius a sly glance, "I take that Lupin isn't on the premises?"

"Not with Harry here, no," he replied stiffly. "He's perfectly safe if he's taken the Wolfsbane potion, but Remus doesn't want to risk it."

"Very wise of him," Snape agreed throwing ingredients into the small cauldron on the stove. Trying to sound casual he chanced, "I am curious about something Black, about your relationship with Lupin…"

Sirius grunted, "Your curiosity's gotten the better of you a few times, Snape. You'd think you'd learnt your lesson by now to keep your nose out of other people's business."

"Obviously I'm a slow learner," he quipped then continued. "You are a wanted man on both sides of this conflict; if the Ministry or the Dark Lord capture you, you will most likely be killed. The likelihood that you come out alive at the end of this war is slim to none."

"I'd say the chances of either of us coming out of this alive are about the same, Snape," he replied darkly.

"I am well aware that I will more than likely die in this fight," he acknowledged. "What I find curious is that you would take up a relationship with someone with that hanging over your head. How do you reconcile the fact that you might die tomorrow while at the same time act as though everything is perfectly fine?"

Sirius considered Snape for a few moments before answering, "Remus and I know that everything is about as far from fine as it could be, and we have no illusions about our chances in surviving this war – we went into this with our eyes wide open. The uncertainty of it all is what drew us back together, I suppose; not knowing from one day to the next whether you or your loved ones are going to be killed. I suppose some people will isolate themselves in an effort to lessen the blow – as if you've got less to lose if you love less. But I don't see it that way – love is a strength, not a weakness. It was my love for Harry that gave me the will to get out of Azkaban, to stay alive, to keep fighting. Maybe if you had someone in your life that you loved that much you'd understand."

"Perhaps," Snape replied quietly, his thoughts firmly of Tonks. The attack at the Ministry had hit him much harder than he expected it to; he had been paralysed with fear when Dumbledore had told him that Tonks had been injured. _If only she had stayed with me that night instead of going out on that bloody mission, she would never have gotten hurt in the first place_ , he had thought helplessly. The same old fears had arisen in him that night, the same terror of losing the woman he loved to another war; it had been fourteen years since he had lost Lily and though his pain had tempered over time, it still felt too raw to acknowledge. Then Tonks had come into his life, and she had stirred feelings in him he had believed long-extinguished. But nearly losing her too...he didn't know if he could bare it twice in a lifetime. How could Remus and Sirius expose themselves to more pain and loss? It seemed inevitable that one or both of them should perish in this war. He would surely die, too. And Tonks...Snape shook his head clear. He wasn't sure he had the strength to love someone and live in fear of losing them.

It didn't take long for Snape to finish brewing the salve. When he had bottled and corked it he showed it to Sirius.

"Rub this paste on his gums twice a day – once in the morning and again before he goes to sleep – it will reduce the pain," Snape thrust the vial into Sirius' hand. He stared at the potion, his face a storm of emotions.

"Thank you," he muttered.

Snape smirked, "Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"I said piss off, git," snapped Sirius. Snape rolled his eyes.

"You're welcome."

Snape left without another word. It was probably the longest conversation they'd ever had without devolving into an argument. Sirius glanced looked down at Harry and sighed, "You better appreciate how much I love you, kid; I just accepted help from Snivellus _and_ said thank you to the old bat. He'll never let me live that down."

Harry threw his tiny arms around Sirius' neck and hugged him tightly. Sirius chuckled and hugged him back, his heart swelling, "I love you too, kid."


	7. Chapter 7

"Do you hear that?" asked Sirius. Remus' ears pricked, listening to the familiar sounds of the rickety old house; it was unusually quiet tonight, all he could hear was the ticking of an ancient grandfather clock in the hallway and the rain thumping off of the bedroom window. That and the steady thrum of Sirius' heart. He closed his eyes and sighed contentedly at the sound, pressing his ear against Sirius' bare chest, "No baby crying."

"Exactly!" he exclaimed brightly, lazily tracing the tips of his fingers down Remus' back. "That salve Snape made for Harry has really worked wonders, this is the most settled he's been since he changed."

"Maybe we'll be able to get a full night's sleep tonight," yawned Remus hopefully. It was the first night after the last full moon; the days after his transformation always left him feeling drained.

"I hope not," teased Sirius, now running his fingers through Remus' thick brown hair. "I've been going stir-crazy without you here with me these last few days. I want to show you how much I missed you."

Remus smirked. Maybe he wasn't that tired after all, "That sounds doable."

"Ooft, that was such a passionate declaration, Moony," laughed Sirius. "You really know how to sweep a boy off of his feet."

Remus shifted his body so that he lay on top of Sirius', pinning his arms above his head and thrusting their hips together. Sirius grunted and rolled his hips, grazing their erections against one another. Remus brought his face close to Sirius', brushing their lips together, "Do you want to be swept off of your feet or do you want me to fuck you?"

Sirius groaned, "Such a dirty mouth. God, I've missed it."

Sirius kissed Remus hard, savouring the deep, guttural moan that rumbled in Remus' throat. Remus, using one hand to keep Sirius pinned in place, used his other hand to roughly pull Sirius' boxers down passed his thighs. He gripped the base of his cock and Sirius groaned louder, his eyes rolling to the back of his head, "Fuck, Moony."

"I'll be doing the fucking tonight," promised Remus, his voice thick with arousal. Sirius gladly submitted, relishing the weight of Remus' body pressing into his own, shivering at the exquisite pain and pleasure of Remus' teeth sinking into his shoulder as he continued to pump his cock closer to the edge of climax. Sometimes he seemed more animal than man, but Sirius loved it; in the bedroom, his quiet, reserved Remus gave way to something raw and uninhibited.

Suddenly a cry from the other bedroom interrupted their lust-filled haze. Remus and Sirius paused, listening. A long silence followed.

"He's probably gone back to sleep," murmured Remus. Sirius leaned up and kissed Remus again who sighed and melted into the embrace. Then Harry cried out again, louder this time. Remus' shoulders sagged and he loosened his grip on Sirius' wrists, "I think he deliberately plans on interrupting us at the most inconvenient time."

"Definitely," sighed Sirius. Remus rolled off of Sirius onto his back, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Just bring him through here, I don't fancy falling asleep on the couch again."

Sirius got out of bed and left the room, returning a few moments later with Harry clinging to him tightly around the neck, "I think he had a bad dream."

Remus shuffled over to his side of the bed to make room for Sirius and Harry to lie down, "What do you think he dreams about?"

Sirius shrugged, carefully laying Harry down on the centre of the bed, "Probably at the prospect of seeing Snape every day. It's enough to give anyone nightmares."

Remus tucked an arm under his head and looked down at Harry. Harry was sucking on the end of his blanket, wide awake but no longer crying, "He looks so innocent when he's not screaming his head off and throwing his breakfast in your face."

"Tell me about it," laughed Sirius, peering down at his godson with an expression of raw love and affection that made Remus' heart twinge. "I don't remember him being this unsettled the first time around."

Remus chuckled, "He was. James and Lily barely got a wink of sleep because of him."

"Yeah, I'm sure he wasn't the only reason for that," noted Sirius sadly. He pushed some of Harry's wild hair out of his face, "What do you think they would say about this? You think we're doing a good enough job taking care of him this time around?"

"I think James would be laughing his arse off at how domesticated we've become," smiled Remus fondly. "Cooking and cleaning, and raising the baby. We can't even have sex in peace anymore."

"Yeah, we're like an old married couple," teased Sirius. Remus smirked.

"I'll need to call you Papa Padfoot from now on."

Sirius snorted, "Alright. In that case I get to call you Mama Moony."

"Merlin, no," groaned Remus.

"Mama," Harry uttered. Remus and Sirius gasped.

"He called you Mama!" said Sirius excitedly.

"He did not!" grumbled Remus. "He's just copying you!"

"Mama Moony and her wolf cub!" teased Sirius. Remus slapped him on the shoulder but that just made Sirius laugh even harder. "I can't believe you're his first word!"

"Well technically I'm not," Remus argued. "Thankfully once Snape cures him he'll be able to say more than repeat the nonsense that comes out of your mouth."

Sirius' smile faded, "Yeah, hopefully he'll be able to cure him soon."

Remus took Sirius' hand into his own, "I understand why you don't want him to change back. And I wish I could keep him like this too. But you know that we can't."

"I know that," he replied miserably. "And I know that it's selfish, but I can't pretend that I don't want to keep him like this; for myself so I can spend more time with him like I was always supposed to. For him so he doesn't have to worry about prophecies and dementor attacks and Ministry hearings and bloody Death Eaters. It's too much to put on his shoulders; he's only fifteen for Christ's sake. It's not fair."

Sirius' eyes welled with tears, "I tried to save James and Lily, and I failed. I want to save Harry the pain of what's to come, but I don't know how. I don't want to fail him too."

"I know," Remus agreed. "But unfortunately for us, life hasn't dealt us a fair hand. Soon enough Harry will be back to normal, and he'll have the same burdens unfairly placed upon his shoulders. But he won't be alone; we'll be there to help take some of the strain off of his shoulders. We won't fail him this time, Sirius."

Sirius shook his head, "I've fucked up things so many times. I just want to be able to do right by him for once in his life."

"You are," Remus assured him, tracing his thumb over the back of Sirius' hand. "You're doing right by him now. You always wanted a second chance, well the universe has answered your call. Even if this is only a temporary thing, you're finally getting your chance to really be there for him like you always wanted to be. You know what James and Lily would say? They'd say thank you for being there for our boy and taking such good care of him. They'd be relieved that it was you here with him now."

Sirius squeezed Remus' hand tightly, "I think they'd be happy you were here too. Taking care of me so I can take better care of him."

Remus laughed softly, "I'll always be here to take care of you. I love you."

Sirius kissed Remus' hand, "I love you, too. And I love you too, you little monster."

He kissed Harry lightly on the forehead, who was now fast asleep between the two men.

"I wonder what he dreams about?" asked Remus again. Sirius shrugged, resting on his arm and watched with fascination the rise and fall of Harry's tiny chest as he breathed.

"Dunno. Whatever it is, I hope it's something peaceful."


	8. Chapter 8

"I am sick and tired of cleaning up your mess, Potter – changing your nappy is the last straw."

Harry gurned and fidgeted on the kitchen counter. Snape snarled, this really was above his remit. Tonks squeezed his arm, "I'll do it you grumpy old git. Go make me a cup of tea, that's a fair trade, yeah?"

Snape fled for the kettle before Tonks could change her mind. It was Christmas morning, and all the Weasley's had descended on Grimmauld Place to spend Christmas with Harry. Snape had hoped to squeeze in Harry's daily check-up before making his excuses and leaving, intending to spend the remainder of the day with Tonks. But she had insisted that they at least stay for breakfast. Snape had grudgingly agreed, but the morning had largely been taken up with opening the large mountain of presents under the Christmas tree.

Harry had received a sizeable stack of baby toys and clothes, including a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard from Hermione, a stuffed owl from Ron, a pair of odd socks from Dobby, and a baby-sized jumper with a large 'H' stitched on the front from Mrs. Weasley. To no-one's surprise, his favourite gift by far was the toy broomstick Sirius and Remus had bought for him, and he had spent the morning zooming around the living room laughing and squealing happily. Tonks had bought Harry an entire wardrobe's worth of baby clothes. When Snape had drawn her an incredulous look at the size of her gift she had smiled sheepishly and admitted that she 'may have gone a bit overboard'.

When Snape and Tonks returned to the cramped living room with breakfast and baby in tow, Fred cleared his throat and rose to his feet, "We have a gift for Harry, too."

George pulled a glass vial from his pocket and passed it to Sirius.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"It's the antidote for the anti-aging potion," beamed Fred.

"Been working on it night and day since we got back to Hogwarts," said George.

"Tested it on plants first," explained Fred.

"Then small animals," George interjected.

"Then finally on each other," Fred glanced at his brother and smirked.

"Finally managed to perfect it on the last day of term," declared George puffing his chest out proudly.

"I think this alone should guarantee us an Outstanding in our N.E.W.T.S., eh Professor?" asked Fred winking at Snape. The Potions Master gawked at them, his face flushing red with fury, but before he could retort Mrs. Weasley had slapped both of the twins on the back of their heads.

"Ow! What was that for?" gasped George.

"You mean to say that you've had the antidote in your pocket for over a week and you're only telling us now?" she cried indignantly. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

George shrugged, "We thought it would make for a nice Christmas present for Harry."

"And we thought announcing it on Christmas day added an extra dramatic flair to proceedings," smirked Fred. Mrs. Weasley drew him a sharp look and he immediately dropped his smile.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" cried Sirius scooping Harry out of Tonks' arms. "Let's change him back!"

George hurried forwards and uncorked the vial, "Three drops should do it."

George placed three droplets of the potion into Harry's mouth and he screwed his face up at the unpleasant taste.

They waited.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then…

"Merlin!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

Harry cried out, his high pitched voice began to deepen as his body grew, the fabric of the baby grow stretched then shredded as his limbs became elongated. He quickly became too big for Sirius to hold so he carefully lay him on the floor, watching with morbid fascination as his godson grew and grew. Harry's face, screwed up in pain began to stretch and lose its puppy fat and a full set of teeth sprouted in his mouth. And just as quickly as it had started, Harry stopped growing. He lay on the floor in the foetal position, naked and shaking furiously.

"Yeah, we probably should have removed his baby clothes before giving him the potion," noted Fred.

"The fuck happened?" gasped Harry. Sirius rushed over and covered him in robes, raising him to a seated position. Harry looked incredibly disoriented, "M-my glasses."

Remus pulled them out of his breast pocket and handed them to Harry. He took them with shaking hands, fumbling to put them on his face.

Snape knelt down in front of Harry and peered into his eyes, "Potter, do you know who I am?"

Harry looked at Snape and instinctively recoiled. Snape smirked, "Back to normal at last."

"Do you have any memories of the event?" asked Snape flatly, tracing his wand up and down Harry's body. Harry sat on the edge of his bed with his head bowed, a cup of hot chocolate clasped in his hands. Snape had insisted on running more tests on Harry just to be sure he wasn't suffering any long term damage from his transformation.

"I remember everything," he replied quietly. "It feels like I was in a dream; nothing about it feels real, but I know that it was. I remember Mrs. Weasley picking me up off of the floor after I had begun to shrink. I remember everyone arguing about what to do with me. It was strange; I didn't recognise anyone except Sirius and Remus. I wasn't sure who they were exactly, but I felt safe with them."

Harry looked dazedly out of the window as he spoke, "I remember you too, sir. Coming here every day to help me, even though you didn't want to."

"I was instructed by the Headmaster to assist, and I did so," he explained shortly.

"You fed me my breakfast," said Harry dreamily. "And you gave me medicine when my mouth hurt…"

Snape paused, "You remember that?"

Harry nodded. Snape felt his stomach twist unpleasantly. If he remembered that, then he probably remembered that he and Tonks almost—

A light knock at the door interrupted his train of thought and Tonks popped her head through the door, "Wotcher, Harry. How you feeling now?"

"Better thanks," he gave her a weak smile. She stepped into the room with a plateful of sandwiches.

"Got some food for you. You must be starving."

"Yeah, I am," he replied, eagerly taking the plate and stuffing a sandwich into his mouth. Tonks glanced at Snape, "Can I borrow you for a minute?"

"I'm busy," he replied shortly.

"Give Harry a few minutes to get his breakfast for Merlin's sake," she chided.

"Don't mind me," mumbled Harry through a mouthful of sandwich. Snape scowled at the sight of Harry stuffing his face before turning to Tonks and beckoning her outside. The moment Snape had closed the door Harry discarded the plate onto the bed and snuck up to the door, listening carefully.

"When are you going to tell them?" asked Tonks.

"Tell them what? It is none of their business," replied Snape.

"They're our friends, Sev—"

"Your friends," he corrected her.

" _Our_ friends," she stressed. "I want them to know."

"We've already discussed this," he argued.

"Why don't you want people to know?" she asked. "Are you ashamed of me?"

"Of course not," he replied softly. "You know how I feel about you."

"Then what's the problem?" she implored.

"This isn't the place to discuss this," Snape deflected.

"I don't like sneaking around," she murmured.

"It won't be forever…" he promised.

"Then when?" she asked sharply. Snape didn't answer. Tonks sighed.

"Dora," Snape pleaded, but Harry heard her footsteps disappearing back down the stairs. A moment later the door flew open and Harry stumbled forward into Snape's chest. He quickly straightened himself and looked up into the Potion Master's furious face.

"How much did you hear?" he hissed.

"All of it," Harry admitted. Snape snarled and pushed Harry back into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. He towered over him menacingly.

"When are you going to learn Potter, not to poke your nose into other people's business? You're just like your fath—"

"Just like my father, I know," interrupted Harry looking unperturbed. "And to be honest, if I haven't learned by now I probably never will."

"That is something Mr. Potter, we can both agree on," he replied silkily. "Not that being a nosy, unlearned swine is anything to brag about."

Harry resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. Snape straightened his cuffs, avoiding Harry's gaze, "You would do well to forget what you overheard. If I find out you've spread malicious rumours about myself and Ms. Tonks—"

"I won't say anything," Harry promised. "Not that it's any of my business anyway. I just think—" Snape groaned and pinched the bridge of his. Harry continued, "That if a relationship has to be a secret, then you shouldn't be in it."

"My personal life is not open for discussion, Potter!" he snapped and drew his wand. Harry eyed it wearily and kept his mouth shut. Still reeling, Snape cleared his throat and continued his tests as though nothing had happened.

Christmas dinner was absolute bedlam. Once word of Harry's recovery had spread, all the Order members - Dumbledore included - descended on Grimmauld Place to join in the festivities. The kitchen table was laden with so much food that Harry was certain that the legs would buckle and break under the weight of it all.

Harry sat quietly and observed proceedings with a contentedness that only a full house and a full belly could provide; Sirius had his arm around Remus' neck and was barking with laughter at something Mundungus had said. Ginny, Fred and George sat in one corner with Hagrid complaining about the newly appointed DADA teacher – some woman called Umbridge – and from what Harry overheard he wasn't particularly looking forward to meeting her. Enchanted mistletoe flew overhead and stilled over Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and he gave her a wet kiss on the lips causing her to blush as red as her hair. Then Harry noticed Ron whispering in Hermione's ear and her cheeks turning red as he slipped his hand into hers. Clearly a lot had happened in his absence.

Everyone seemed to be caught up in the festive spirit. Everyone except Snape of course, who sat scowling through most of the meal, and Tonks who this morning had seemed fit to burst with Christmas cheer now seemed rather deflated.

Dumbledore rose to his feet and everyone immediately fell silent. He smiled at them all and announced, "I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Bumfuzzle! Cattywampus! Wabbit! Nincompoop!"

Everyone laughed and Dumbledore continued, "In all seriousness, I would like to congratulate Harry on his miraculous recovery. And a special thank you to Messers Fred and George Weasley for both causing and solving the problem; a remarkable piece of magic if I may say so myself."

The twins rose to their feet and bowed to everyone. Ginny and Mundungus applauded and Mrs. Weasley pulled George back down onto his seat, scowling at her sons. Dumbledore continued on a more serious note, "These are unfortunately, dark times. We have a long and hard fight ahead of us all, but what happened to Harry has demonstrated that with love, mutual cooperation and hope, anything can be achieved. However difficult times ahead may be, we must still revel in joy when the opportunity arises."

Sirius squeezed Remus' hand tightly. Snape glanced at Tonks for a moment then lowered his gaze, his expression remaining impassive. Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed at Harry and he raised his goblet in toast, "And to the man of the hour; Harry, I am relieved to see you fully recovered, ready and eager to return to Hogwarts. I believe you have quite a lot of homework to be catching up with."

Everybody laughed. Dumbledore inclined his head, "To Harry."

"To Harry," everyone chorused.

"Speech, Harry!" cried Fred and a few others cheered and chorused "Speech!"

Harry's cheeks burned, he wasn't accustomed to deliberately drawing attention to himself, and he detested public speaking. But he sighed in resignation and got to his feet, clutching his butterbeer close to his chest.

"What's there to say?" he shrugged. "Weird things happen to me all the time, so I really should have expected something like this to happen."

Everyone chuckled in agreement. Harry cleared his throat and continued, "I wanted to thank you all for taking care of me – Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Mrs. Weasley, everyone who helped out the last few months. And Professor Snape."

Snape stilled when Harry said his name. He hadn't been expecting the acknowledgement. Harry continued, "Even though the last four months have been strange, they actually weren't that bad. If anything I should thank Fred and George for giving me a unique opportunity – a second chance at a childhood I never had. For the first time in my life I can say I actually have happy memories from my childhood. And you gave those to me. Thank you."

He inclined his head towards the twins who for once in their lives looked bashful. Harry raised his goblet, "To second chances."

"To second chances," everyone chorused and downed their drinks. Once the main courses were finished Tonks, Mrs. Weasley and Sirius began serving desserts. When Tonks wandered into the pantry Snape took his opportunity and followed her, relieved that everyone was too distracted to pay them any attention.

"Dora—" he began, but she cut him off.

"There's nothing to talk about Sev," she replied shortly, avoiding his gaze. "We've been dancing around this for months. I've made my feelings pretty clear. If you're not ready to commit, then there's really nothing else to discuss, is there?"

She pushed passed him and stepped back out into the kitchen. Snape grabbed her by the arm, panic rising in him, "You're right Dora, I've been an idiot. Please, let me make it up to you—"

"Oh, mistletoe!" cried Ginny giving Tonks a mischievous grin. "That means you and Professor Snape have to kiss!"

Everyone turned in their direction and whooped. Snape and Tonks stood frozen by the pantry door, the mistletoe hovering over their heads.

"Come on," shouted Fred. "Kiss her already!"

Snape's pulse raced. This was his chance. Gathering all of his courage he pulled Tonks close, cupping her soft cheek in his hand. She looked up at him with a mixture of shock and longing, frozen to the spot as he leaned in and pressed their lips together. Everyone in the kitchen whooped and cheered, but Snape took no notice of them. Everything and everyone else seemed to fall away then, there was only him and Tonks, her body trembling under his fingertips with nervous excitement. It felt like it was their first kiss all over again, a wave of fear and elation rushing through him. Tonks sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer. The laughter and cheering died away as the kiss continued and deepened, both of them forgetting that they were in full view to a roomful of gawking onlookers. When their lips finally part, Snape opens his eyes and his heart leaped at the contented expression on Tonks' face.

"SNIVELLUS!" roared Sirius crushing a chocolate eclair in his fist in fury. The kitchen erupted again in a mixture of shouts, jeers and cheers. Sirius and Snape were squaring up to one another throwing insults while Tonks stood between them, pushing them apart. Ron looked absolutely horrified at what he had just witnessed. Mrs. Weasley wiped a tear from her eye. Fred and George were rolling about with laughter while Remus shook his head wearily, not even bothering to intervene.

Harry watched proceedings in silent amusement. Usually he was the troublemaker, so it was a nice change of pace that this particular argument had absolutely nothing to do with him. He pulled a treacle tart pudding towards him and tucked in, relieved that for once in his life he was not the centre of attention.

THE END


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